There are ceramic electrostatic chucks for use in semiconductor manufacturing apparatuses. Ceramic electrostatic chucks include a metal electrode embedded in a ceramic body. One ceramic portion on the wafer side of the electrode is referred to as a dielectric layer. Another ceramic portion on the opposite side of the electrode is referred to as a support layer. Electrostatic chucks that include a dielectric layer having a volume resistivity in the range of approximately 108 to 1013 Ωcm are known as Johnsen-Rahbek-type electrostatic chucks.
The present applicant found that a support layer having a higher volume resistivity than a dielectric layer allows an electrostatic chuck to have stable attractive force even when the electrostatic chuck is joined to a lower electroconductive radio-frequency electrode (see Patent Document 1). The present applicant also devised a ceramic material that has a volume resistivity that is effective at generating Johnsen-Rahbek attractive force by adding Sm to the main component aluminum nitride (see Patent Document 2).